The Axe of Wandsbek
(Das Beil von Wandsbek)
Das Beil von Wandsbeck © DEFA-Stiftung, Erich Kilian
| Harnack, Falk |
| Bortfeldt, Hans Robert |
| Harnack, Falk |
| Steinhauer, Marieluise |
| Tegener, Hildegard |
| Baberske, Robert |
| Schneider, Karl |
| Zander, Erich |
| Schulze-Mittendorf, Walter |
| Roters, Ernst |
| Zweig, Arnold |
| Braun, Käthe |
| Ebinger, Blandine |
| Geschonneck, Erwin |
| Helmke, Gefion |
| Hinzelmann, Helmuth |
| Holm, Claus |
| Kleinau, Willy A. |
| Meissner, Ursula |
| Schröder, Arthur |
| Sessak, Hilde |
| Hahne, Kurt |
Synopsis
Hamburg, Germany 1934: An executioner is needed. Teetjen (Erwin Geschonneck) makes the biggest mistake of his life. Because his butcher shop is facing bankruptcy, he agrees to execute a group of political prisoners for the Nazis. Once this becomes known, Teetjen’s life falls apart.
Commentary
The Axe of Wandsbek was the only DEFA film made by Falk Harnack, a former anti-Nazi resistance fighter who was interested in exploring the involvement of the middle class in Nazi crimes. Despite positive reviews, the film was withdrawn shortly after its premiere; it became the first East German film ever to be banned.
The film is adapted from one of the most important works by German-Jewish author Arnold Zweig; basing the story on real events, Zweig wrote the novel in exile in Palestine in 1943.
Awards
| 2010 | Shown at the New York Jewish Film Festival |
Press comments
“A rediscovered treasure from post-war German cinema.”
— Anne Nelson, author of Red Orchestra
“Credits are top grade!”
— Variety
“The psychologically nuanced film version of Arnold Zweig's novel was the only Babelsberg film directed by Falk Harnack, who at the time, mainly worked as a stage director, and who during the Nazi regime, was in active opposition to the state. The excellent Erwin Geschonneck plays the part of Teetjen the butcher...”
— Heinz Kersten in the Berlin Tagesspiegel on April 14, 1974
Availability
- Biographies & Filmographies
- Falk Harnack: A Stubborn German Conscience, filmed interview with Anne Nelson, 2009
- “Käthe Braun on Falk Harnack,” interview by Ralf Schenk
- “The Axe Affair,” essay by Deborah Vietor-Englände
- "Postscript: A Letter to Author Arnold Zweig"
